Upon further review I think I'll run my spinnaker halyard inside the mast. I have an extra slot top side and a free block on the port side base of the mast. Any tips on how to run a line top to bottom on a standing mast. thanks in advance hawaii dan simper fi!
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Gotta' go up.
You will need to drop the new halyard down from the top. Put it through a block THEN over the spare sheave and "push" it down the mast. The block should swing free in front of or behind the forestay depending upon where you tack the sail. But then you already have that block up there. Next problem is fishing the halyard out the side of the mast. Do you have an exit hole? I had to make one in my Kenyon mast. Then bought an exit plate from Rig-Rite and riveted it over the new hole. Also had to add a cleat as my halyards stay at the mast. Nice, clean setup.
You will need to drop the new halyard down from the top. Put it through a block THEN over the spare sheave and "push" it down the mast. The block should swing free in front of or behind the forestay depending upon where you tack the sail. But then you already have that block up there. Next problem is fishing the halyard out the side of the mast. Do you have an exit hole? I had to make one in my Kenyon mast. Then bought an exit plate from Rig-Rite and riveted it over the new hole. Also had to add a cleat as my halyards stay at the mast. Nice, clean setup.
Not that you asked...
But an efficient way to run the tack line is to exappropriate the furling blocks and set up 3 Clear-Step wheels for the furler. That way the spin tack is semi-permanent and one less line to worry about when you fly. Speaking of flying with the spin, we hit 7.3 coming south on the Chesapeake Bay yesterday near the Mobjack Bay.
But an efficient way to run the tack line is to exappropriate the furling blocks and set up 3 Clear-Step wheels for the furler. That way the spin tack is semi-permanent and one less line to worry about when you fly. Speaking of flying with the spin, we hit 7.3 coming south on the Chesapeake Bay yesterday near the Mobjack Bay.
Use a string
If you have enough line, you can tie a couple of strings to the opposite ends of the existing halyard and pull through your new line!It may get trickey trying to get your new line on the correct sheave on the top of the mast. Best to wait for mast to be down unless you want to climb!
If you have enough line, you can tie a couple of strings to the opposite ends of the existing halyard and pull through your new line!It may get trickey trying to get your new line on the correct sheave on the top of the mast. Best to wait for mast to be down unless you want to climb!
Bill, where does the. . . .
lead block attach? How do you get the tack forward of the bow pulpit? My first try was just four feet of line from tack to bow roller.
lead block attach? How do you get the tack forward of the bow pulpit? My first try was just four feet of line from tack to bow roller.
String? Not likely.
To keep my original post short I did not go into the messenger option. I did use a "string" when I added my spin halyard. But the mast was horizontal. I sewed a messenger to the jib halyard and then the new halyard to the end of the messenger. But I still had to work at the top to get the messenger over the new sheave. And it was really difficult because of the way the sheaves are separated. This difficulty was just three feet off of solid pavement though, not fifty feet up.
In my marina there are lots of people who will go up just because they think its fun.
To keep my original post short I did not go into the messenger option. I did use a "string" when I added my spin halyard. But the mast was horizontal. I sewed a messenger to the jib halyard and then the new halyard to the end of the messenger. But I still had to work at the top to get the messenger over the new sheave. And it was really difficult because of the way the sheaves are separated. This difficulty was just three feet off of solid pavement though, not fifty feet up.
In my marina there are lots of people who will go up just because they think its fun.Response to Ed
The spin tack goes out an 8-foot lead pipe bowsprit built 5 feet into the anchor locker and extending 3 fet over the prow. An eyelet screw has a pulley on it that takes the spin tack up and away from the main. Back at the stern I've got a 4-to-1 purchase blocks to pull the tack line down and adjust accordingly underway. These lines are outside the coaming, out of the way. A U-bolt to the base of the stern pulpit rail keeps it in place.
The spin tack goes out an 8-foot lead pipe bowsprit built 5 feet into the anchor locker and extending 3 fet over the prow. An eyelet screw has a pulley on it that takes the spin tack up and away from the main. Back at the stern I've got a 4-to-1 purchase blocks to pull the tack line down and adjust accordingly underway. These lines are outside the coaming, out of the way. A U-bolt to the base of the stern pulpit rail keeps it in place.
Halyard down the mast
For our asymetrical spinaker halyard, I tried to feed the halyard over a spare sheave on the forward side of the masthead (50+ ft up) but it actually has to go up slightly and then over the sheave. There is not much clearance. The halyard line alone did not have enough weight or curvature to allow it to be pushed over and down the mast. Prior to my next trip up the mast, I attached about a dozen small diameter lead weights to about 2 ft of fishing leader, then tied and taped one end of the leader to the end of the halyard. I also attached a small carbon steel bolt to the other end of the leader so that when the leader/halyard were pushed over the sheave, the lead weights would fall and pull the halyard over the sheave and down the mast. The bolt would lead the way down the mast. At the mastheat, I pushed the leader/halyard over the sheave. My daughter used a pen magnet (thus the need for the bolt) and fingers to extract the leader/halyard through the port-side sheaves at the base of the mast. We removed the sheaves at the base of the mast to get as much room as possible to reach the leader/halyard. It was difficult to detemine when the leader/halyard had reached the base. I had to raise and lower the leader/halyard several times before it came close enough to the sheave opening. (There was a lot of dockside noise so it was difficult to hear anything inside the mast.) Once the leader/halyard was extracted from the base of the mast, I reassembled the sheaves and ran the halyard back to the cockpit along the same path as the mainsheet. As usual, the job could have gone much easier. I had two other jobs to take care of at the top of the mast and one of them nearly caused me to accidentally break the fish leader and drop all the weights to the deck (along with my 35 mm camera)! I'm still a bit nervous hanging at the top of the mast but fortunately managed to keep anything from dropping. Best laid plans... Good luck with your halyard installation. Mike s/v Charisma 82 H36
For our asymetrical spinaker halyard, I tried to feed the halyard over a spare sheave on the forward side of the masthead (50+ ft up) but it actually has to go up slightly and then over the sheave. There is not much clearance. The halyard line alone did not have enough weight or curvature to allow it to be pushed over and down the mast. Prior to my next trip up the mast, I attached about a dozen small diameter lead weights to about 2 ft of fishing leader, then tied and taped one end of the leader to the end of the halyard. I also attached a small carbon steel bolt to the other end of the leader so that when the leader/halyard were pushed over the sheave, the lead weights would fall and pull the halyard over the sheave and down the mast. The bolt would lead the way down the mast. At the mastheat, I pushed the leader/halyard over the sheave. My daughter used a pen magnet (thus the need for the bolt) and fingers to extract the leader/halyard through the port-side sheaves at the base of the mast. We removed the sheaves at the base of the mast to get as much room as possible to reach the leader/halyard. It was difficult to detemine when the leader/halyard had reached the base. I had to raise and lower the leader/halyard several times before it came close enough to the sheave opening. (There was a lot of dockside noise so it was difficult to hear anything inside the mast.) Once the leader/halyard was extracted from the base of the mast, I reassembled the sheaves and ran the halyard back to the cockpit along the same path as the mainsheet. As usual, the job could have gone much easier. I had two other jobs to take care of at the top of the mast and one of them nearly caused me to accidentally break the fish leader and drop all the weights to the deck (along with my 35 mm camera)! I'm still a bit nervous hanging at the top of the mast but fortunately managed to keep anything from dropping. Best laid plans... Good luck with your halyard installation. Mike s/v Charisma 82 H36
we got it
Finally won! Fishing line with a shackel pin as a weight droped down from top. Attached a little heaver line (parachute cord) to the fishing line a ran that up. Then we attached the halyard and pulled it from bottom to top. The sticking point proved to be the halyard- lead line connection- it must be in line with no bulk to fit through and over the sheave at the mast head. Now for the spinnaker test run-
Finally won! Fishing line with a shackel pin as a weight droped down from top. Attached a little heaver line (parachute cord) to the fishing line a ran that up. Then we attached the halyard and pulled it from bottom to top. The sticking point proved to be the halyard- lead line connection- it must be in line with no bulk to fit through and over the sheave at the mast head. Now for the spinnaker test run-
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